Tuning In

Eighteen new episodes will premiere in spring 2008. The renewal comes as no surprise. The drama, from the Mark Gordon Company/ABC Studios, has been the network’s highest-rated series ever, averaging 3.6 million viewers since its June premiere, says Broadcasting & Cable magazine.

The “network for women” announced plans for “Wives’ ” second season during its Thursday presentation at the Television Critics Association press tour.

Bridging the gap between the two seasons will be a new two-hour, psychic-themed Friday-night reality block set to debut Oct. 12, and the second season of the acquired vampire drama “Blood Ties,” which premieres Oct. 13, B&C; says.

Rosie’s new rants

Speaking of “The View,” sadly it seems we haven’t heard the last of the Rosie O’Donnell-Elisabeth Hasselbeck dust-up that ended Miss O’Donnell’s brief tenure on the show three weeks before her contract expired.

According to MSNBC.com, Miss O’Donnell reportedly drew devil horns, a tail and a fiendish goatee on a picture of her former co-host during a recent cruise for homosexual families.

She also took aim at another enemy, Donald Trump.

The Web site, citing a story in US Weekly, claims that Miss O’Donnell reportedly said she’d love to break into Donald Trump’s apartment and rub her belly all over him. The outspoken comic used the same line at the finale of the True Colors tour on July 1 in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, at a press conference to announce his new line of office chairs through Staples, the Donald threw out a barb of his own for Miss O’Donnell — suggesting that she should not sit in one of his new products.

“I said they are not strong enough. We would have to make them out of steel,” he laughed.